Manual and semi-automated animal milking systems are in widespread use. The predominant system currently used employs a “standard milking cluster” including a bowl (such as the Waikato 320 Claw supplied by Waikato Milking Systems of Waikato, New Zealand) connected to milking cups via feed lines. Such systems require an operator to attach and remove the cups.
A number of milking robot designs are in commercial use, such as the Lely ASTRONAUT range. Such milking robots typically service only a single animal at a time. Due to throughput limitations this requires several expensive robots to be employed or requires milking to occur over an extended period. Further, such robots are not compatible with standard milking clusters with the milking cups being incorporated within the robot arm. Others, such as the De Laval VMS range pick up and attach each cup independently, with each cup being on a separate hose, rather than a cluster. Thus they cannot economically be retrofitted to conventional milking parlours.
WO00/72664 discloses a milking robot having milking cups integrated into the robot arm. This milking robot requires one arm per milking bale.
EP689761 discloses a milking parlour in which one robot services the bales of a rotary platform but provides no details as to the construction of the robotic arm.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,058 discloses one robotic arm servicing a rotary platform but provides no disclosure as to how the cups are located by the milking arm.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a milking cluster positioning device which goes some way to overcoming the abovementioned disadvantages or which at least provides the public or industry with a useful choice.
It would be desirable to provide a robotic arm and method of milking that allowed a robotic arm to attach the cups of a standard milking cluster for a number of bales of a standard parlour or to at least provide the public with a useful choice.
Statements of Invention
According to one exemplary embodiment there is provided a robotic milking system comprising:
a milking cluster having a plurality of cups connected to a bowl;
a retractor to withdraw the cluster so that the cups hang down below the bowl;
a robotic arm that is not permanently attached to the milking cluster arranged to acquire and hold the plurality of cups of the cluster as they hang below the bowl and actuators for moving the arm to facilitate the attachment of the cups to an animal; and
one or more guide arms positionable with respect to the robotic arm in a first configuration to define a radially tapering opening between the robotic arm and the guide arm to assist in locating cups within the tapering opening and positionable with respect to the robotic arm in a second configuration in which the cups are brought into closer proximity to the robotic arm for capture.
There is further provided a milking cluster guide, comprising:
a support assembly configured to rest on a surface and provide a support platform onto which items can be mounted;
a positioning assembly mounted on the support assembly and configured to move on the support assembly both radially and tangentially; and
a pair of arms mounted on the positioning assembly, the arms generally horizontally aligned and having at least an open position where the arms are positioned to taper radially.
There is further provided a robotic milking arm comprising:
a robotic arm arranged to acquire and hold a plurality of cups of a milking cluster having actuators for moving the arm to facilitate the attachment of the cups to an animal; and
one or more guide arm positionable with respect to the robotic arm in a first configuration to define a radially tapering opening between the robotic arm and the guide arm to assist in locating cups within the tapering opening and positionable with respect to the robotic arm in a second configuration in which the cups are brought into closer proximity to the robotic arm for capture.
There is also provided a method of positioning a milking cluster guide comprising the steps of:
positioning a plurality of grippers configured to grasp around the body of a teat cup through the centre of a cluster of teat cups hanging below an associated bowl;
moving a pair of arms inwards so that the arms are positioned around the outside of the cluster; and
moving the arms towards the centre of the cluster to push the teat cups into a position for engagement with the grippers.
Preferred embodiments are set out in the claims and are incorporated in the description by reference.